Random musings of a Northwest resident with a long-standing love affair with temperate climates. Often wandering from model railroad to philosophical and theological musings, and back.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Cotton Belt E-1 4-4-2 Atlantic

Re-Play of earlier post:

The Yard crew has been busy! In the near future this lovely 4-4-2 will be hauling consists on the RG&P. It will have to be run through a thorough check-up and will probably get a bit of RG&P paint thrown on it, but from the looks of it, its a mighty fine little engine. It's just the right sort of motive power for the limits of the RG&P. Kudu's to the Yard Crew on this one.

The engine arrived from Kentucky via Priority Mail today. Inside the priority box was a generic Athearn box with the engine and tender snuggled inside, wrapped in plastic and cusuioned in foam. It looks like one of the brake pads has come loose and there are four brass stirup steps laying in the box looking like they had broken off. There is also a small bag with some screws, looking very much like the screws that may have held a coupler to the tender. It looks like someone in the past attempted a few repairs with liquid solder, not such a good thing on such small areas.

It is beautiful to look at and will be sent to the roundhouse shops for a general look-see. More when I get information from them

3 comments:

Although the engine may arrive in a month or so, the layout is not ready for regular passenger service. The Track Crew needs to realign some sections of track and install better crossovers so that engines can do their best work.

Thought it might interest you that you can read about the prototype of this engine in Stapac's "Cotton Belt Engines"--go to Amazon, find the book, click "look inside" and search for "Atlantics". On pp. 61-62, it describes this class. 6 prototypes were made by Baldwin in early 1909 for the Cotton Belt.

These engines were considered "cute" and "woefully outdated from the day the design was put on paper." Sounds like the perfect engine for passenger service on the ol' RG&P Road.